We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melissa Mark a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Melissa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?
I was at my first in person Minneapolis Craft Market event (@mplscraftmkt), an August 2017 Linden Hills Farmer’s Market. My friend came to help set up my tent and table and she stayed to keep me from turning into an anxious mess. While I had sold some of my jewelry pieces before, it had only been to friends and their acquaintances. This was different. It was my first time selling in front of an unknown audience, at a public event with many other local jewelry makers and artisans. I needed to prove to myself that I could be a working artist; I was nervous and very excited.
It was a lovely day and my assigned spot was not facing the sun – two wins right out of the gate! As the morning went on, several people came by my table to look at my work, but my interactions weren’t great. I was tongue tied – tripping over words, waving my hands a lot in an effort to explain the layers of significance and meaning to my I AMulet® jewelry. My self-judged poor performance was a massive confidence buster, but I was determined to figure out a coherent sales script. I tried a number of different ideas and around halfway through the four hour event I stumbled upon a few short sentences that succinctly explained my pieces to folk as they glanced my way. Shortly thereafter a woman came by and made a beeline for a specific necklace, the sugilite I AMulet®. She bought it for herself and wore it immediately.
I was on Cloud 9. Not only had I been able to finally converse about my art with a complete stranger, I made the sale!. It felt fantastic – she liked my work, and she didn’t have to! It was energizing and I was happy for the rest of the day.
**Minneapolis Craft Market is an organization that plans and hosts local maker markets in a variety of indoor and outdoor venues across the city. New artists have to go through a membership process and be accepted before they can gain registration access to any of the MCM events. It was incredibly validating for me as an artist to join this collective group of makers, and it opened up a consistent and dependable market schedule where I could bring my product to new customers. I still belong to this group and depend on it for most of my in-person market events.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My name is Melissa, and I’m a family practice doctor living in Minneapolis. I started a small handcrafted jewelry business after a significant life event, and my work focusses on how the regular practice of setting positive intentions and affirmations can influence a person’s emotional health and overall well-being.
How did I get here? Great question. If you had told me when I graduated from medical school that in 30 years I’d be making jewelry instead of being at the bedside, I would have laughed at the thought. But that’s exactly what I’m doing… happily.
My first serious step into the medium happened in 1990 when I was a spring term senior Carleton College (@carletoncollege). I took a metalsmithing class as a final graduation requirement and fell in love. After graduation I didn’t have access to the same tools and materials, but I still wanted to keep making jewelry. I found some community classes on beading and wirework and used these mediums to keep myself creatively satisfied. Jewelry was only a hobby for me at that time, and I was happy designing and wearing the things I could create without a jeweler’s saw or torch.
I first started practicing medicine in 1997 and cared for many wonderful families until I eventually took a leave from my full-time clinic position in early 2012. There’s no sugar coating it – I was burned out and tired of the never-ending amount of non-medical work that kept me from actually seeing my patients and providing direct-patient care. I needed a break and I took it. I have no regrets about stepping back because I know it was the right thing for me to do. Even so, I did (and still do) miss my patients. By the end of 2012 I returned to patient care but not in the same role. Instead, I took a part time hospitalist position. It was a good move, and I enjoyed my new colleagues and my work.
In 2015 my husband had a significant trail biking accident, the kind of event that makes you step back and reassess where you are in your life and how you will prioritize your future. I took another leave from work to help with his care and recovery. I knew that I needed to get a handle on my high levels of anxiety and fear, and returned to crafting and jewelry making as ways I could quiet my brain when the stress level felt especially high.
Later in that same year and continuing into 2016 I came up with a necklace that could be used as a centering mindfulness tool. Known now as the I AMulet®, I designed the piece with two main components – a good luck amulet charm and a variety of interchangeable talisman/affirmation pendants. The idea was simple; whenever the wearer had feelings that were more negative than positive, or internal scripts that were getting in the way of their emotional well-being, they could slip a specific talisman pendant onto their chain and focus their thoughts on the associated positive affirmation or intention. At first there were only a couple of stone/affirmation combinations and now I have over 25 options. For each new stone pendant that I bring into the collection I research and write positive affirmations and intention statements that align with the lore and history of that stone.
I’ll admit that I designed the I AMulet® for myself as a way to keep myself grounded during that stressful moment in my life. I had no intention to offer it to anyone else, but folk asked about what I was doing and when I showed them my necklace, they were interested in learning more about it. I took a leap of faith and registered my business and opened an Etsy shop. From there I started attending local craft fairs and moved most of my online sales to my own website, melissacmark.com.
As time has gone on, I’ve seen how the I AMulet® can help other people find the words and energy to encourage and center themselves. And the best part for me? Sitting with people and helping them to put together their own I AMulets. These moments have shown themselves to be a way for me to share my healing and listening skills with people again, one on one. No, I’m not in an exam room or at the bedside in the hospital. I’m also not ordering tests or prescribing medications. Instead, I’m actively listening to each person’s story, recognizing their stresses, and helping them to find the words they need to help themselves heal or get back on track. That’s what I think makes my work special and unique – both for me and for those who wear my designs.
In addition to I AMulets, I do also like creating other solo gemstone pendant necklaces and earrings. In all my work, I lean toward simple and classic designs, always using natural stones for their beauty and energy.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I think the thing most people have a hard time understanding is how I could stop practicing medicine. Why would I leave a career that required years and years of training? I’ll be honest, I ask myself that same question… a lot. But at the end of the day, I am doing work I enjoy and that I believe makes a difference in the lives of others. It echoes what drew me to medicine – I wanted a career that I would enjoy while also helping others. I feel fortunate to have found a creative path that checks similar boxes, and that’s what is most important. You have to feel fulfilled in whatever work you choose to do – especially as a creative.
I can hear the head shaking commentary..
Jewelry? How can that possibly help others?
It isn’t the tangible items themselves that make my creative work rewarding, but instead it’s the emotion and significance that people bring into their chosen pieces that fill my cup. (I do design lovely pieces, though.) I see the choosing and wearing of jewelry as more than a superficial experience and my designs are meant to be more than just sparkly. As I develop each talisman pendant for the I AMulet®, I write a corresponding positive affirmation and intention statement for that specific gemstone. The interchangeable design of the stone pendants allows you to choose which tangible touchstones of support you need for your own personal growth and wellness journey. Remembering to speak kindly and believe in yourself goes a long way in the realm of health and healing. My current creative work is all about developing an easily accessible, meaningful, and personalized way for you to do just that.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
It’s the connections I make with people as they interact with my work that I value the most. As a doctor, I obviously shared my knowledge with others – that was my job. But providing care for patients requires an emotional investment that isn’t always valued by payors or sometimes even the patients themselves. It’s also a one way arrangement (by definition) that can sometimes take a heavy toll on the psyche. Being a creative resets everyone’s expectations of me and the work I do. People recognize that creating art needs both a brain and a heart component to accomplish. And best of all, it’s a two way emotional exchange. My feelings and intentions are part of what attracts another person to my art, and I get to see how they react in return.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.melissacmark.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/melissacmark
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/melissacmarkllc
- Other: Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/melissacmarkjewelry
Image Credits
Belu Photography (@belu.photography) for my headshot and the first two uploaded photos. Other photos are mine.